Not Alone
by YamiCrystalline
Summary: On a lonely holiday night, Ryou reflects on his life, and how alone he feels...


_Not Alone_

YamiCrystalline

_Author's Note: Well, I certainly didn't think I'd be writing fanfics again for a while. I've been so busy with everything else. But, none the less, and much to my surprise, here it is!_

_Focus's on Ryou._

_Comments / crit welcome, flame an' I'll laugh at you._

_Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh or its characters._

_Warning: a bit of a ramble, it's a one-shot, and…yea. I think it was created on the soul purpose that it wouldn't let me write ANYTHING else till this was written. Go figure._

Bakura Ryou sighed dismally as he trudged up the steps and into his home. Well, house really…a home was where a family lived, and most of the time, it was just him in the large, three bedroom house in Domino. He shivered as he stepped in, having not left the heater on while he was at school. The white haired boy easily flicked the heater to life.

The day had been bleak, much like Ryou's mood. The sky had been covered in a depressing gray, and at times it rained. Adding to that was the chill blasts of wind that signaled the oncoming winter.

He sighed again as he slumped into a chair, closing his chocolate brown eyes while massaging his temples.

At least no one had noticed his seemingly depressed mood today. But really, why would it bother his 'friends'? They were obliviously happy, and that happiness was only fed on by the oncoming holidays.

Ryou sat back in the chair, again thinking on how he wished –almost – to be any one of his friends at any given moment. They all had some semblance of family, people they loved and were loved in return.

Hell, he'd even be Kaiba Seto, who wasn't even his friend, but still had his brother for family.

The white haired boy let his thoughts drift as he made his way into the kitchen to fix some tea.

I wonder where father is now…? How his newest dig is going, and if they've found anything? His mind pondered the questions as he put the kettle on to boil.

I wonder if he's even thinking of me…

His father the archaeologist…always away, always working…always running.

Because he of Ryou.

Because his father didn't want the reminder of the family they once had – the ones that Ryou so resembled, made it painful for the father to look at his only living son.

Ryou stared aimlessly around the kitchen, his eyes finally resting on a family photo, hanging on the wall. He seemed to be looking past it as his thoughts turned to earlier, happier times.

_/ "But muuummm….I want to go to!" A younger, nine-year-old Ryou whined as he watched with large pleading eyes while his mother and sister got into the car._

_It was easy to tell they were family – just by their hair alone. Both Ryou and his twin sister, Amane, had inherited their mother's snow white hair and delicate facial features. Ryou even had his mothers brown eyes, while Amane had their fathers light green eyes._

_With a patient, amused smile, his mother shook her head no._

"_No my darling, not today. You have to stay here with daddy while your sister and I go Christmas shopping." She gave him another warm smile, kissed him on the forehead, and got in the car. _

_Amane simply stuck her tongue out at him – it was okay, he did it right back. She had promised to bring him some candy back anyway._

_It was the last time he saw either of their smiling faces alive./_

The strong whistle of the teapot snapped Ryou out of his memories. Ryou quickly wiped unshed tears from his eyes as he finished fixing his tea.

"Tch. What in the hells are you sniffing over?" Bakura appeared next to his host in his semi-transparent form, a scowl on his face at the disturbance.

Ryou jumped ever so slightly at the sudden voice. He gave an uncharacteristic glare of annoyance as he sat down with his tea.

The ancient thief watched his host with a confused glare. Bakura had come out only because he had felt the surge of grief, and had thought something might have happened to the mortal, and HE would have to save his sorry little life yet again.

Not that he cared, of course. Ryou was just convenient, and that was the only reason Bakura wanted him to stick around.

"Nothing is wrong, spirit." Ryou mumbled – Bakura could easily tell he was hiding something. He watched as his partner sat there, slumped in a dejected manner, not really enjoying the tea as he usually did. It seemed to only be there more out of habit than anything else.

Again, the spirit narrowed his eyes. Something was definitely up with the boy, and he intended on finding out what.

Ryou, of course, ignored his dark spirit as he sipped his tea, listening as thunder again rumbled to life in the outside world.

/_It was dark and rainy the day of the funeral. The small Ryou stared numbly at the twin caskets that held his mother and sister._

_The gathering was small – just family and a few friends. All around him were people with saddened faces, some of them with tears that mixed with the pouring rain._

_Ryou's father stood with him, a hand on the small boy's shoulders._

_Farewells were said, and everyone began to leave once the caskets were in the ground…_

_All little Ryou could do was continue to stare…he didn't understand this. How could they be gone? They were just going shopping…_

_There was no Christmas celebration that year or any year after that…/_

Bakura watched Ryou with an odd kind of concern as the mortal boy stared into nothing, tears began rimming his eyes. What could have the boys attention so completely that he ignored everything else?

His behavior was really beginning to worry Bakura. Maybe the boy was sick or something.

Ryou continued down his dark alley of memories.

_/After the funeral, Ryou's father passed the boy around to different relatives while he went on long archeological digs in other countries. They were constantly moving, but his father was rarely there._

_Ryou, for months after the death of his mother and sister, would not talk to anyone – the relative who had him at the time would complain to the boys father about how he scared the other children._

_He always knew the complaints would come. Just as he knew that every time they came, it was time to move on._

_This treatment went on until they moved to Japan, and Ryou's father deemed him old enough to take care of himself. _

_Shortly after they were moved in, his father gave him a small gift before he was to leave again on another dig._

"_It is ancient." He told Ryou, "and will protect you. Take care of it."_

_His father would come and go, stay in the house for a few days, maybe a week or two every six months or so before he would leave again._

_Ryou was used to it. After all, his cousins had nicknamed him 'little ghost.'_

_No one ever noticed him anyway./_

Bakura was looking at the picture of Ryou's family when the boy finally spoke.

"I lost my family today…seven years ago." Bakura turned, a bit surprised at the tiny voice giving such a confession. Ryou had always seemed agitated with the spirit – which was mostly Bakura's fault, as he gave the mortal no reason to NOT want him around – that Bakura was shocked that he was now held with that bit of confidence.

"What are you talking about? Your father is not dead, and you are no orphan." What did Ryou know of losing family? He had lost his – and his whole village – when he was much younger than Ryou. Bakura attempted to scowl, but the look changed to a mild look of surprise when he saw tears trickle down Ryou's pale face.

"My mother…and sister…were in a car crash, in England…father doesn't care for me…I may as well be orphan…have no family anymore…" Ryou babbled the few statements, more to himself than to Bakura. He didn't care that the spirit was standing there, watching him cry like a child.

He felt so alone…his father pretended he didn't exist anymore. His friends were oblivious to him…

Why did it have to be him that ended up so alone?

Ryou was barely in control of his thoughts any more, so swept into his grief as he was, that he didn't notice the dark spirit's expression actually soften to one of uncharacteristic sympathy and understanding. Bakura sat on the armchair next to Ryou, placing a ghost-like hand on the boys shoulder.

Bakura watched his partner carefully, not sure what else to do.

Ryou jerked his head up sharply to look at the spirit, confusion and wariness in his tear-rimmed eyes.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other, and seemed to reach some new level of understanding.

"You are not alone…aibou…" Bakura whispered, "I will be with you."

"Let me be your family now."

_End_

Author Ending notes: Oh…kay. Not exactly what I had expected. Bakura gets a lil OOC there at the end, as I'm sure he doesn't like that mushy-gushy stuff. Being all nice and sweet and stuff :3

Bakura: blush shut up, you silly mortal girl!

Anyway, take it as you will – the silly ramblings of a 'silly mortal girl'.


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